Windows of Wondering

OK, so it may have been restored and modified over the centuries but the basic achievement still remains; the Sainte-Chapelle is an awe-inspiring place.

What gets me is the sheer number of little pieces of glass which went into the contruction of those huge stained glass windows. Not to mention the conception of the scenes which intricately trace biblical events, obviously, from Genesis to Louis IX's bringing of the holy relics (not wholly biblical), for which the thing was built, into Paris, barefoot and clothed as a penitant, which he actually did, the drama queen.

The guy was made a saint for his efforts, which included amassing a who bunch of holy relics, including the purported crown of thorns, bits of wood from the so-called 'True Cross' and the holy lance, whatever that is or was.

As you can tell from my tone, I'm inclined to consider this one of the best confidence tricks in history, along with the holy bible itself of course, as how someone could believe that a few wood chips and a bit of twiney pointy stuff undisputably came from an apocryphal event many years after and far away is beyond me.

Be that as it may, we are left to wonder, in all senses of the word, necks craned, eyes aloft at this lofty achievement, and wonderful it indeed is. The wages of worship and war seem occasionally worth the price paid in retrospect, although it's only with the distance of generations that we can fully appreciate the achievement and its true cost. The future Saint Louis was a crusading Christmonger for all his pious posturing, but that was generally well regarded in those days anyway.